How About Some Silk Ballistic Undershorts?

The U.S. Army plans to test silk undershorts developed by the British Army to offer groin protection against small pieces of shrapnel generated by improvised bombs, Colonel William Cole, project manager for Soldier Protection and Individual Equipment, told an Army press briefing today.

Cole said the heavy duty silk has been used for protection by soldiers since the Middle Ages, when it was worn under chain mail armor. It definitely does not chafe as much as Kevlar armor.

BBC News reported last December, in a marvelously worded sentence, that the high tech undies are intended "to protect soldiers' most important piece of personal kit from blast injuries."

Cole said the U.S. Army plans to test the ballistic protection of the underwear at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., while soldiers at Ft. Bragg, N.C., will conduct wearability tests.